Contents

The Silvan Elves were descendants of the Nandor (and thus in origin Teleri), who had lingered in the Anduin Vales during the Great Journey of the Eldar in the Elder Days. The Silvan Elves hid themselves in their woodland realms beyond the Misty Mountains and became a scattered folk hardly distinguishable from Avari.[1] While some of the Nandor continued to Eriador and later entered Ossiriand, some remained in the Vales of Anduin, and from these latter originated the Wood-elves.[1]

In the early Second Age, after the War of Wrath, Oropher of Doriath (father of Thranduil and grandfather of Legolas) along with few of the Sindar came to forest realm east of Misty Mountains. He became the King of the Silvan Elves and established the Wooldland Realm of Greenwood the Great (SEryn Galen). The culture of Silvan folk were rude and rustic compared to the Beleriandic culture of the Sindar.[2] But soon the Sindar merged with the Silvan Elves and adopted their language, took names of Silvan form and style. This language was a dialect of Sindarin known as Silvan Elvish.[2] On the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, Amdír (father of Amroth), another Sinda leader came to the land known as Laurelindórenan (or Lórinand) and ruled over the Silvan elves as their King.

It is also told that the some of the western Avari, dwelling in Eriador and the Anduin Vales, were friendly to the Eldar, and came to merge with the Wood-elves. These were Nelyarin Avari (Penni), from the third Clan (and therefore remotely akin to the Nandor and Sindar).[3][note 1]